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London • Let one thing be clear: Andrei Kirilenko does not like rumors.

So don't bother asking if, after a year away from the NBA, he gave any thought to re-signing with the Utah Jazz before signing a reported two-year, $20 million deal with Minnesota last week.

"I'm not commenting on other teams," he said. "I don't [want] people to start speculating."

But here's fresh buzz that can be backed up with evidence: The former Jazz forward is playing like the old Kirilenko, not the aging Kirilenko Utah fans last saw in 2011.

"I feel great," said Kirilenko, 31, who on Thursday signed a two-year contract with Minnesota. "Look at me, I'm running like a young deer."

Can a deer shoot 3-pointers? Heck, can Andrei Kirilenko?

At least one. A 3-pointer was just part of the dizzying performance Kirilenko put on Sunday night in Russia's opening-round game of the London Olympics. He scored 35 points on 14-of-17 shooting to lead his country to a 95-75 victory over Great Britain.

Kirilenko was spinning, converting three-point plays, dunking off the dribble and via alley-oops. He was knocking down jumpers. And he played defense: steals, blocks, including one on a 3-pointer.

What Andrei giveth, Andrei taketh away.

Of course, one must be careful with excitement. This was a game that made NBA washout Pops Mensah-Bonsu look like a star (22 points, nine rebounds for Britain).

Still, Kirilenko, wearing No. 15 and playing alongside future T-Wolves teammate Alexey Shved, seemed far from the injury-plagued seasons that doomed his time in Utah. The one-time All-Star did not play in more than 67 games any one of his last three seasons in Utah. His productivity dipped, and he became less of a playmaker. After 10 seasons, he returned to Russia and played for CSKA Moscow.